The Yankees essentially asked for perfection from Gerrit Cole.
The former Cy Young winner made it seem like he might deliver it.
Making another start with dreadful run support from the Aaron Judge-less lineup, Cole retired the first 14 batters he faced, en route to throwing a season-high seven innings and 11 strikeouts, but the 35-year-old’s dominant showing couldn’t help the Yankees overcome a 5-3, 10-inning loss to the Pirates in The Bronx.
The Yankees, who scored a total of one run in Cole’s previous two starts, are now 4-7 this season in games he started. Cole (3-5, 3.92 ERA), who has earned one win in his past six starts, took a no-decision Wednesday after allowing three runs, four hits (two home runs) and no walks before exiting with the Yankees still scoreless.
“I thought Gerrit was really good,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “He had everything kind of going. Both slider and curveball were a factor. Changeup was good. He was efficient … you’d like that to be the story of how good he was again, if we could’ve got it going a little more offensively.
“I think he’s in a really good place and getting back his competitive sea legs.”
Cole, now two months removed from his return from Tommy John surgery, looked like the ace who teased a no-hitter in the 2024 World Series, appearing untouchable as he struck out eight hitters and moved more than halfway to pitching a perfect game against the team that drafted him first overall in 2011.
But just like the infamous Game 5 against the Dodgers, Cole’s storybook start began crumbling in the fifth inning, as Nick Gonzales ripped a two-out single, followed by a two-run home run by Jacob Gonzalez.
Gonzales then put the Pirates up 3-0 after hitting a solo shot in the seventh inning. It was Cole’s 11th homer allowed in his past nine starts.
“I felt like I gave it a chance out of the hand, but it stayed too close to him,” Cole said of the first homer. “The second homer from the other Gonzalez was a challenge fastball in a 1-0 count and a beautiful swing. Look, you gotta be filling up the strike zone, you gotta be aggressive and sometimes you make the aggressive mistake. Both of those were aggressive mistakes.”
Cole generated 21 swings and misses — his most in 24 starts — while recording his most strikeouts since Aug. 25, 2023. Cole also recorded his franchise-best 29th double-digit strikeout game, along with his 24th start recording at least 10 strikeouts and no walks, which ranks fifth in MLB history.
“It was a good step forward for sure,” Cole said. “All things considered, it’s been really good throughout the whole year. But we’re always trying to fine-tune and keep getting a little better.”
